A few details emerge

We had thought about going as far North as Hervey Bay but on checking the pet friendly houses up there they all seemed to be under the misapprehension that we were

1. successful owners of a hedge fund (probably a few oxymorons in that); or
2. bank robbers (possibly confusable with item 1); or
3. members of the some political party (ibid).

in that they were charging the sort of prices per week that we paid for 3 weeks accommodation in the UK last year. As the poets might say, sod that for a game of tin soldiers.  We will get by without touring the flood ravaged areas North of the Tweed.

Instead the plan is as follows.

1. Leave Canberra on a Friday and head for Newcastle.  An easy drive to shakedown our arrangements.  Should also fit in some birding at Koorogang Island.
2. Then head up the Coast to about Coffs Harbour and stay for a week;
3. Next stop is a friends house almost of the Queensland border, just outside Murwillumbah.  Rent that for a week.
4. Back to Byron Bay for a week.
5. Finish off with a week at Topi Topi near Forster, where we have stayed and greatly enjoyed ourselves in the past. 

As a starting point I will sing the praises of the internet as a travelling tool.  With a couple of hours trawling and a few email exchanges we have set ourselves up for the whole trip.  As with the UK trip last year all the operators of the places we have selected have been very helpful and easy to deal with.

Here is a map from Google earth showing those spots.

Its about 880km in a straight line from home to Tomewin.  According to Google Maps it is 1116km using the wonderful Pacific Hwy!